Nov. 23, 2007

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford University basketball team will conclude its three-game, Pete Hanna Center-opening homestand Saturday at 2 p.m., as the Bulldogs host the Brewton-Parker Barons. The matchup will be the second all-time meeting between the schools.

Samford (1-2) will attempt to snap a two-game losing streak Saturday in its final matchup of a three-game homestand. In their previous two contests, the Bulldogs dropped home games against Belmont 82-73 and Towson 73-66.

The Bulldogs opened their 2007-08 season Nov. 11 with a road win at Evansville. In the victory, Samford's senior guard Joe Ross Merritt knocked down a running left-hander with one second remaining to earn the 50-49 win.

Merritt leads the Bulldogs with 18 points per game this season, while senior center Travis Peterson follows with 15.7 points per contest. Sophomore Bryan Friday is Samford's top rebounder with 6.7 rebounds per game and point guard Trey Montgomery leads the team with 3.3 assists per contest.

Brewton-Parker (2-3) enters Saturday's game with loads of positive momentum after defeating Savannah College of A&D 78-65 on Monday. With the win, Brewton-Parker picked up its second victory in three games.

The Barons opened the 2007-08 season with a pair of hard-fought losses against Webber University 68-67 and Voorhees College 71-60. Brewton-Parker's top scorer this season is junior point guard Jurbien Byrd, who is averaging 16.5 points per game.

The Barons' head coach is former Samford-great Steve Barker. Barker played for the Bulldogs from 1978-82 and led the team in scoring each season. He is ranked second on Samford's all-time scoring list with 1,902 career points.

Saturday's matchup between Samford and Brewton-Parker will be the first meeting between the teams since the 1994-95 season. In the opening game of the all-time series, Samford earned a 74-52 victory at home. The non-conference contest was played Dec. 29, 1994.

The Bulldogs have made at least one 3-point field goal in 474-consecutive games.

The last game in which Samford did not make a 3-point basket was on Jan. 19, 1991, against Texas-San Antonio. The Bulldogs have also made at least two 3-pointers in 443-straight contests dating back to Feb. 8, 1992, when Samford finished 1-of-6 from beyond the arc against Mercer.

UNLV is the national leader in consecutive games with a 3-point field goal as the Running Rebels have made a 3-point basket in 667-straight games dating back to the 1986-87 season. Vanderbilt (666) and Kentucky (648) are the only other two schools that have made at least one 3-point basket since the rule was adopted prior to the 1986 campaign.

Samford's 6-foot Curtis West will look to continue his stellar play from Tuesday's game against Towson. In the Bulldogs' second game played in the brand-new Pete Hanna Center, West earned the first double-double of his collegiate career with 12 points and 11 rebounds.

Following Samford's home matchup against Brewton-Parker on Saturday, the Bulldogs will return to the road Monday and square off against the Lipscomb Bisons at 7 p.m., in Nashville. The non-conference game will be played at Allen Arena.